Forest Management Certification

FSC’s Forest Management certification is voluntary for forestry companies who want to demonstrate responsible forest management by having their forest management planning and practices independently evaluated against FSC’s forest management standards.

 

FSC Forest

Benefits of certification

FSC certification can benefit your organization by:

  • Sharing proven, best-in-practice solutions to help raise the standard of forest management
  • Providing new market opportunities and tangible economic benefits for your business
  • Meeting increased consumer expectations for responsible forest management
  • Connecting you to a global network of like-minded organizations and businesses
  • Demonstrating your support for 14 of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Protecting forest ecosystems and helping fight climate change

Learn more from an FSC certified forest management company

Within one minute of meeting prospective customers, we share that we are FSC certified and some key indicators of our highly attractive carbon footprint. These two factors are key to our success in today's marketplace. - Frederic verrault, Executive Director, Corporate Development at Les Chantiers de Chibougamau Ltée

Who is eligible for FSCs forest management certification?

Forest management certification is applicable to all forest types and ownership structures:

  • industrial or private forest owners
  • forest license holders
  • community forests
  • government-managed forests

FSC also offers forest management certification for:

5 Steps to FSC Certification

step
01

Contact a certification body

Contact one, or several, third party Certification Bodies who will provide an estimate regarding cost and timeline, The Certification Body will provide you with information about the requirements for FSC certification.

step
02

Application & agreement

When you decide which certification body you would like to work with, fill out an application form and sign an agreement with the certification body.

step
03

Complete an on-site audit

Complete an on-site certification audit where your selected certification body will assess your company’s qualifications for certification. 

step
04

Certification approval

The data collected during the audit will be captured in an audit report. The certification body will make a certification decision based on the information in the report.

If the certification decision is positive, you will receive an FSC certificate.

If the audit reveals that your operation is not yet in full compliance with FSC requirements, you will receive specific corrective actions. These corrective actions will need to be addressed, at which time a further audit can be conducted.

step
05

Annual audit

The certification body will also conduct annual surveillance audits to verify your continued compliance with FSC certification requirements. FSC certificates are valid for five years.

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Standards & Requirements

FSC-STD-CAN-01-2018 EN_V1.pdf
PDF, Size: 2.12MB
Annex A Companion Doc.pdf
PDF, Size: 864.48KB
Annex H Frequently Asked Questions
PDF, Size: 188.59KB
NFSS Frequently Asked Questions
PDF, Size: 192.31KB
FPIC Guidance for Organizations
PDF, Size: 916.15KB